Contactgegevens

What CEOs Expect From An Interview Candidate

Geplaatst op 24-05-2012.

Having written about what CEOs look for in the resumes of job applicants last week, I enjoyed it so much I thought I’d bring you along for the first interview.

First interviews are tricky because like a resume, there’s no way of knowing exactly what the prospective employer is expecting to hear you say and whether the answers you give are indeed the “right” answers. All you can do, beyond ignoring that pile of butterflies in your stomach, is take a deep breath, put on your best tailored suit, and come in confident about what you do know about the place you’re applying to work with.

But there are ways to kick your first impression up a higher notch than showing up in a sharp suit. Expectations that I like to look for aim to keep the interviewing process less nerve-wracking and more… well… just less nerve-wracking than it needs to be.

Polished but Not Perfect

Perfection, in any sense of the word, is a lot to ask of anyone in the first stages of the interviewing process. Go for polished instead. Do your homework on what the company is all about instead and focus on aspects that you either feel you have a skill set that could benefit it the best or that you have additional questions on. Prospective candidates should know about the business – not necessarily every detail, but enough to ask professional, educated questions.

30 Minutes or Less

How long should an interview go on for? And is it a bad sign if it ends too early or too late? Questions like these are enough to drive any interviewee up the wall! Through personal experience, I like to have my interviews with applicants go on for 30 minutes. It’s enough time to get a sense of what the candidate is like and answer any questions they may have without rushing through the process.

If there’s potential for a good fit and all goes well at the first go-around, I’ll invite them back for a second interview to meet with additional members of the team.

You May Be Googled

Don’t be surprised or upset if this occurs either. In addition to the standard background check, I myself will scope out anything I can find about an interviewee via their social media networks. I would definitely suggest that candidates going in for an interview do some light housekeeping on their Facebook or Twitter profiles as soon as they can before the first interview if only to hide whatever they would not like someone else to see that could potentially work against their hiring favor. And while I never ask for passwords to Facebook accounts, I can’t speak on behalf of all companies either – better to be safe than sorry.

In addition to having done your homework on the company you’re interviewing for, keep in mind that your employment history may come with a set of questions too. Why did you leave your last position? If still employed, why are you looking to leave now? And if there’s an large unemployment gap, be prepared to answer questions related to that one too.

The answers you give can also be quite telling too. Try to refrain from talking poorly about past management or being flippant in response. Answers during job interviews are more loaded than you think – they can easily give away clues to the potential for success or failure of hiring said candidate.

Take the Friendly Conversation Opening

Sometimes you can only talk business for so long. If there’s an opening to chat for a bit on yourself, open up to that opportunity. Casual conversation that includes asking what you like to do in your free time, how you engage with fellow employees, or even a favorite destination spot to travel to can reveal a lot about the potential fit of the applicant within your company. It also helps to everyone to relax all around.

Thank You

Last but certainly not least, always remember to follow-up via email or with a handwritten note. Whether it’s electronic or physical, a thank you note should be sent. Not sure if you know the right email address or general business address to send it to? Ask for a business card on your way out to have handy. And if you have a card too, feel free to offer it in exchange.